U.S. patent application number 11/586755 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-31 for conveyor, and lubrication regulating process for a conveyor belt of a conveyor for bottles or containers in general.
This patent application is currently assigned to SUNBIRD INVESTMENTS LIMITED. Invention is credited to Walter Divisi.
Application Number | 20070119686 11/586755 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37603402 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070119686 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Divisi; Walter |
May 31, 2007 |
Conveyor, and lubrication regulating process for a conveyor belt of
a conveyor for bottles or containers in general
Abstract
The conveyor comprises a conveyor belt with which a lubricant
dispensing device is associated. It also comprises a device for
measuring a quantity proportional to the friction coefficient
between the conveyor belt and the bottles and connected to control
means for controlling said lubricant dispensing device in such a
manner as to regulate the lubricant amount in order to maintain the
measured quantity within a predetermined range. The lubrication
regulating process for a conveyor belt of a conveyor for bottles or
containers in general consists of measuring a quantity indicative
of the friction coefficient between the conveyor belt and bottles
and controlling the lubricant feed onto the conveyor belt such as
to maintain this quantity within a predetermined range.
Inventors: |
Divisi; Walter; (Egham,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
c/o LADAS & PARRY;Suite 2100
5670 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles
CA
90036-5679
US
|
Assignee: |
SUNBIRD INVESTMENTS LIMITED
|
Family ID: |
37603402 |
Appl. No.: |
11/586755 |
Filed: |
October 25, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
198/502.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 45/02 20130101;
G01N 19/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
198/502.1 |
International
Class: |
B65G 43/00 20060101
B65G043/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 25, 2005 |
IT |
MI2005A002261 |
Claims
1. A conveyor comprising a conveyor belt with which a lubricant
dispensing device is associated, said conveyor comprising a device
for measuring a quantity proportional to the friction coefficient
between said conveyor belt and said bottles and connected to
control means for controlling said lubricant dispensing device in
such a manner as to regulate the lubricant amount in order to
maintain the measured quantity within a predetermined range.
2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said measuring device
comprises a slider connected via elastic means to a sensor able to
measure the force acting on it and provided with a contact portion
slidably associated with said conveyor belt, such that during
operation said slider is dragged by said conveyor belt and is
retained by said elastic means which, by exerting a force on the
sensor, enable a signal to be measured Is indicative of the
friction coefficient between the conveyor belt and the contact
portion, which is proportional to the friction coefficient between
the conveyor belt and the bottles.
3. A lubrication regulating process for a conveyor belt of a
conveyor for bottles or containers in general consisting of
measuring a quantity indicative of the friction coefficient between
the conveyor belt and bottles and controlling the lubricant feed
onto the conveyor belt such as to maintain this quantity within a
predetermined range.
4. Software for regulating the lubrication of a conveyor belt of a
conveyor for bottles or containers in general comprising
acquisition means for a quantity indicative of the friction
coefficient between the conveyor belt and bottles, and processing
means for comparing the acquired quantity with a preset range for
this quantity, said software also comprising control means for a
lubricant dispensing device which regulate the lubricant amount
dispensed and maintain said acquired value within the preset range.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor and to a
lubrication regulating process for a conveyor belt of a conveyor
for bottles or containers in general.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] When conveying bottles (or containers presenting similar
characteristics) it is known to usually use conveyors comprising
conveyor belts on which the bottles are deposited.
[0003] The conveyor belts are provided at their end with collection
units which channel the bottles towards subsequent treatments (for
example to feed them to a labelling machine).
[0004] In particular, the collection units comprise a pair of
crosspieces against which the bottles collide and by which they are
guided.
[0005] The crosspieces define a passage port enabling only one
bottle to pass; hence in practice the bottles arrive continuously
and accumulate at the crosspieces, whereas only one bottle at a
time can pass through the port and be channelled to the next
operation.
[0006] Consequently, as the bottles remain accumulated at the
crosspieces and as the conveyor belt continues to translate
continuously without stopping, the bottles have necessarily to
slide on the conveyor belt.
[0007] To facilitate sliding and to prevent the bottles from
falling over because of friction, it is known to lubricate the
conveyor belt upper surface (that on which the bottles are
placed).
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
[0008] The conveyor belt upper surface is currently lubricated by
feeding a film of lubricating liquid, typically lubricating oil,
onto the conveyor belt to achieve minimal lubrication of the
conveyor belt.
[0009] Specifically, upstream of each conveyor belt, a lubricant
dispenser is disposed which is fed with a predetermined lubricant
amount (usually a predetermined lubricant amount per unit of time
or a predetermined lubricant amount per unit of length travelled
through by the conveyor belt); the dispenser then uniformly
distributes lubricant over the conveyor belt.
[0010] However, traditional conveyors present the considerable
drawback of not being able to automatically regulate the lubricant
amount dispensed onto the conveyor belt to adapt to any changes in
friction conditions between the conveyor belt and the bottles.
[0011] This is of considerable importance when considering that the
friction coefficient is a function both of the contacting materials
and of the type and quality of lubricant, but is also considerably
influenced by other factors which can change greatly with time,
such as the temperature and humidity of the environment in which
the conveyor is disposed.
[0012] To this must be added the fact that the conveyor belt must
always be lubricated correctly because if lubrication is excessive
(with respect to the instantaneous friction coefficient between the
conveyor belt and bottles), the bottles would slide on the conveyor
belt and be unable to overcome even small inclinations, whereas if
lubrication is insufficient (with respect to the instantaneous
friction coefficient between the conveyor belt and bottles), the
bottles (on being braked and accumulated at the crosspieces) would
overturn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The technical aim of the present invention is therefore to
provide a conveyor and a process for regulating the lubrication of
a conveyor belt of a conveyor for bottles or containers in general
which enable the stated drawbacks of the known art to be
eliminated.
[0014] Within the framework of this technical aim an object of the
invention is to provide a conveyor and a process which enable the
lubrication of the conveyor belt to be automatically regulated by
adapting it to the continuous changes in the friction conditions
between the conveyor belt and the bottles.
[0015] The technical aim, together with this and other objects, are
attained according to the present invention by a conveyor and a
process for regulating the lubrication of a conveyor belt of a
conveyor for bottles or containers in general, in accordance with
the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will
be more apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred but
non-exclusive embodiment of the conveyor and the process according
to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conveyor according to the
invention seen from above;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a device for measuring the friction coefficient of
the device of FIG. 1; and
[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the software according to the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] With reference to said figures, these show a conveyor
indicated overall by the reference numeral 1.
[0021] The conveyor 1 comprises a conveyor belt 2 for supporting
the bottles or containers 3, and a lubricant dispensing device 4
associated with the conveyor belt 2; the lubricant preferably
consists of lubricating oil and enables minimal lubrication of the
conveyor belt to be achieved.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor is also provided with a
collection unit for the bottles 3 which comprises two crosspieces 5
disposed above the conveyor belt 2 (but spaced therefrom) and
inclined such that their closest portions mutually converge but are
spaced apart to define a space 6 through which a single bottle can
pass at a time.
[0023] The conveyor 1 also comprises a device 7 for measuring a
quantity proportional to the friction coefficient between the
conveyor belt and the bottles and connected to control means 8
(typically a PLC) to control the lubricant dispensing device 4, in
such a manner as to regulate the lubricant amount dispensed in
order to maintain the friction coefficient within a predetermined
range.
[0024] Specifically, the friction coefficient measuring device 7
comprises a slider 10 connected via elastic means 11 (such as a
spiral spring) to a sensor 12 able to measure the force acting on
it and provided with a contact portion 13 slidably associated with
the conveyor belt 2.
[0025] The operation of the conveyor according to the invention is
apparent from that described and illustrated, and is essentially
the following.
[0026] During operation, the conveyor belt moves as indicated by
the arrow F1.
[0027] The slider 10 (which supports the portion 13 slidably
associated with the conveyor belt 2) is urged as indicated by the
arrow F2 and consequently pulls the spring 11, which deforms by
lengthening; this latter exerts a force on the sensor 12 indicative
of the force F2 and hence proportional to the friction between the
conveyor belt 2 and the contact portion 13 controlled by the
lubricant.
[0028] This friction is mainly dependent on the lubrication
conditions (minimal lubrication) and is hence indicative of the
friction coefficient between the conveyor belt 2 and the bottles 3
controlled by the lubricant (as this later is also mainly dependent
on the lubrication conditions).
[0029] In addition, as the lubrication characteristics vary with
time (for example in relation to the environmental conditions such
as temperature or humidity), the measured quantity also varies with
time (in relation to the change in friction coefficient).
[0030] The quantity measured by the sensor 12 is communicated to
the PLC 8 and is compared with a reference range for this quantity,
to evaluate whether it lies or does not lie within this range.
[0031] In practice, by maintaining the measured quantity within the
predetermined range, the friction coefficient between the conveyor
belt 2 and bottles 3 is maintained within a range of values for
which correct lubrication is ensured.
[0032] If the measured quantity is outside the reference range (or
even if, within this range, the values of its first or second
derivative indicate an early departure therefrom), the PLC 8 causes
the dispensing device 4 to increase or decrease the dispensed
lubricant flow rate, to return the measured quantity to within the
preset range (or to maintain the measured quantity within the
preset range, by making it approach the mean value of the preset
range).
[0033] The present invention also relates to a process for
regulating the lubrication of a conveyor belt of a conveyor for
bottles or containers in general.
[0034] The process consists of measuring a quantity indicative of
the friction coefficient between the conveyor belt 2 and bottles 3
and controlling the lubricant feed onto the conveyor belt 2 such as
to maintain this quantity within a predetermined range.
[0035] The present invention also relates to software for
regulating the lubrication of a conveyor belt 2 of a conveyor 1 for
bottles 3 or containers in general.
[0036] The software comprises acquisition means 20 for a quantity G
indicative of the friction coefficient between the conveyor belt 2
and bottles 3, and processing means 21 for comparing the acquired
quantity G with a preset range for this quantity.
[0037] The processing means are arranged to evaluate whether the
quantity G is within or not within the preset range, then
continuing to acquire the quantity G if within the range, or
activating control means 22 if not within the range.
[0038] The software control means 22 act on the lubricant
dispensing device 4 to regulate the lubricant amount delivered and
to maintain the acquired quantity G within the preset range.
[0039] It has been found in practice that the conveyor and the
lubrication regulating process for a conveyor belt of a conveyor
for bottles or containers in general according to the invention are
particularly advantageous because they enable the lubricant amount
dispensed onto the conveyor belt to be automatically controlled and
regulated on the basis of the instantaneous operating
conditions.
[0040] The conveyor and the lubrication regulating process for a
conveyor belt of a conveyor for bottles or containers in general
conceived in this manner are susceptible to numerous modifications
and variants, all falling within the scope of the inventive
concept; moreover all details can be replaced by technically
equivalent elements.
[0041] In practice the materials used, and the dimensions, can be
chosen at will according to requirements and to the state of the
art.
* * * * *